U.S. Team Regroups For Cup Qualifier
'Nothing Easy' About Playing in Guatemala

By Steven Goff
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 20, 2008

GUATEMALA CITY, Aug. 19 -- The U.S. men's national soccer team began its World Cup qualifying adventure in June, but with all due respect to the Bajan Pride of Barbados, the Americans' quest for a berth in the 2010 tournament in South Africa truly begins here Wednesday night.

In a soccer-obsessed country.

In a crammed downtown cauldron that has witnessed triumph and tragedy.

In a game against a team ravenous to reach the World Cup for the first time.

"Everyone understands what is at stake right now and is committed to the big picture," U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu said Tuesday at the team hotel in the upscale Zona Viva section of this gritty capital city. "We're ready for the environment. I wouldn't say it will be hostile, but you'll have very committed fans adding to the intensity of the game."

The Americans will need to get re-accustomed to such settings. Over the next 14 months, assuming they do not stumble this fall, they'll have to perform in thorny environments throughout Central America and the Caribbean in pursuit of a sixth consecutive World Cup berth.

This trip, kicking off semifinal-round group play, will be followed by a historic stop in Havana to play Cuba on Sept. 6 and the home opener against Trinidad and Tobago outside Chicago four days later. They will then face the same three opponents in October and November, including Cuba on Oct. 11 at RFK Stadium.

The top two finishers will advance to next year's final round.

"Until you actually get into a game, it's hard to remember what it's like," said forward Landon Donovan, the U.S. program's all-time leading scorer and veteran of two World Cup qualifying cycles. "Once the process starts and you are in the middle of it, you realize, 'Here we go.' "

Much has changed since the Americans went winless at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Bob Bradley, a successful MLS coach, has taken over for Bruce Arena. Several veterans, including Brian McBride, Claudio Reyna and Eddie Pope, have retired from the international game, and a new generation of players has emerged.

The Americans have enjoyed considerable success since Bradley's appointment, winning an important regional tournament and scoring noteworthy exhibition victories at home and abroad, but getting back to the World Cup is all that really matters.

For this match, U.S. players traveled from all over the world to report to the team. Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra and Tim Howard, among others, left their European clubs, while Donovan, Brian Ching and others arrived from MLS teams. Bradley also called in four Olympians who became available on short notice after the U.S. squad failed to advance past the first round in China.

"The last year we have had opportunities to rehearse these situations," Bradley said. "You always need to get across that, when they come in, it's important that they can switch gears quickly and pick up on where we left off. The hope is that the foundation of work that we put in as a group, to establish tactics and a mentality, all those things are in place for them when they arrive."

The trip was particularly complicated for former Maryland Terrapin Maurice Edu, a midfielder who returned to his Toronto MLS team from Beijing, only to re-board a jet a day later and head to Scotland to negotiate a deal with Glasgow Rangers. Two days passed before he was back in the air to join the national team.

"I don't even know what day it is," he said. Edu, 22, will be among several young players getting their first serious taste of World Cup qualifying. "The guys have prepped me a little bit and told me to expect the unexpected. The game is of great importance, and we know Guatemala needs to win at home."

Said Donovan: "It will be a learning experience for some of these guys. The emphasis has to be on composure and what we can control -- don't worry about the crowd or the referee. Once everything settles, just try to play soccer, and that is where we are clearly better."

Playing on the road, however, can serve as a great neutralizer.

Guatemala will have the support of an estimated 25,000 at Estadio Mateo Flores, named after a Guatemalan runner who won the 1952 Boston Marathon.

"When you play there," Guatemala Coach Ramón Maradiaga said, "you can't escape the noise and the passion."

Capacity was reduced after one of the worst tragedies in soccer history. Before a World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica in October 1996, thousands of fans with both legitimate and counterfeit tickets tried to enter one particular section, causing a human avalanche that left more than 80 dead and 150 injured. Guatemalan authorities have since implemented new ticketing and security policies. Police and military personnel numbering more than 2,000 will be in position Wednesday night.

While the U.S. players do not fear for their safety, they do recognize the impact the atmosphere will have on the game and particularly their opponent.

"I have friends in England who say, 'Oh, it's just Guatemala; that's an easy three points,' " said goalkeeper Tim Howard, who plays for Everton. "They don't understand that there's nothing easy about it."